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... Alpha Crucis is a double star, blue-white in color, with components of magnitude 1.4
and 1.9, separated by 4.4 arcseconds. It is the 14th brightest star in the sky. It is
located 320 light-years from our solar system, and composed of two hot blue-white
stars with luminosities 25,000 and 16,000 times ...

... The star chart shows the stars and constellations visible in
the night sky for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart and
Adelaide for June 2016 at about 7:30 pm (local standard
time). For Darwin and similar locations the chart will still
apply, but some stars will be lost off the southern edge while
e ...

... in the sky and therefore upside-down).
3. Extend the line four and a half times the length of the cross.
4. This will bring you to the point in the sky called the South Celestial Pole.
5. From this point, drop a line vertically down to the horizon. This gives you the direction
of true south. Compass ...

... A ‘Star’ is a large celestial body composed of gravitationally contained hot gases
emitting electromagnetic radiation, especially light, as a result of nuclear reactions
inside the star.
The sun is a star. With the exception of the sun, stars appear to be fixed, maintaining
the same pattern in the s ...

... June evenings are great for seeing the brightest part of the Milky Way high overhead. June 21st is the shortest day of the year
(winter solstice; 9 hours and 48 minutes of daylight) when the Sun is at its most northerly position in the sky. Saturn is located
towards the east in Libra. Mars can be se ...

... For Darwin and similar locations the chart will still apply, but
some stars will be lost off the southern edge while extra stars
will be visible to the north. Stars down to a brightness or
magnitude limit of 4.5 are shown on the star chart. To use
this star chart, rotate the chart so that the direct ...

... The star’s name regulus comes from the
Latin word Rex which means King
It is associated with many cultures like the
Greeks , Arabs, and Ancient Babylon
It also is know as one of the four Royal Stars
of the Heavens
...

... “Extend the line of the Cross’s vertical axis towards the horizon, such that it intersects a line
perpendicular to, and bisecting of, a line running between the Pointer stars. This intersection
is the South Celestial Pole, from which the line running vertically to the horizon will represent
a bearin ...

... With the popular name of “Southern Cross” it takes pride of
place on our Australian flag.
It also features on the national flags of 4 other countries Crux
is the smallest constellation in the sky.
Note that the two “Pointers” don’t point quite directly at Crux.
They point slightly above the top of t ...

... Extend the line from the main axis of the
cross.
Now take the line bisecting the two pointers
and extend it till it intersects with the first
line.
At the intersection point, drop a line directly
to the ground to find true south.
...

... Centaur, with bow, is outlined at left. It was only in the 17th Century that Crux
was split off as a separate constellation. The slow wobble of Earth's axis
allowed this part of the sky to be seen from more northerly places in ancient
times. The fainter Pointer and the three bluish-white stars of th ...

... 11. At what time of year is the constellation Orion best seen? Locate and idenify in
the sky the three brightest stars of this constellation.
12. How are the letters of the Greek alphabet used to name stars in a constellation?
Give five illustrations of the use of the letters of the Greek alphabet ...

... Name: Southern Cross.
Astronomical name: Crux.
GENITIVE: Crucis.
Common name: Southern Cross.
This circumpolar constellation (always situated above the horizon) of the South Hemisphere,
is located between the Centauri and the Fly constellations, just above the Polar Antarctic
Circle and it is crosse ...

... South is toward the South Celestial Pole
East is toward East on the ground (usually)
West is toward West on the ground (usually)
On a ground map you’re outside a sphere looking
in.
• On sky maps you’re inside a sphere looking out.
• East and West on star maps are reversed
compared to maps of the gro ...

... The Sun
Located in the center of
our solar system is the
brightest of all the
stars, the sun. The sun
is the closest star to the
Earth. Due to the spatial arrangement of
the Earth and the Sun, it sun is visible to
us and responsible for most of the
Earth’s energy.
...

... Star clusters are groups of stars that are ‘connected’ by a significant gravitational force ands
move around tougher as the galaxy rotates. The motion of the Sun through the galaxy does
not affect the appearance of a star cluster from Earth over a long period of time. Examples of
star clusters are t ...

... 2. Which stars in Ursa Major point to Polaris?
3. How can one find the constellation Cassiopeia?
4. To what constellation do Castor and Pollux belong?
5. Where was the first planet outside our solar system found?
6. In what constellation did the spring equinox occur 2000 years ago?
7. How is the Ein ...

... Ursa Minor is a constellation of the northern sky. It is especially
known because within it lies the north celestial pole, although its
position is subject to a continuous, slow movement due to the
precession of the Earth's rotation. The Little Dipper is easily
identifiable because, once detected th ...

Crux

Crux /ˈkrʌks/, located in the deep southern sky, is the smallest yet one of the most distinctive of the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped asterism that is commonly known as the Southern Cross. Although visible to the Ancient Greeks, it was seen as part of the constellation Centaurus, and not defined or accurately mapped till the 16th century.Known as Acrux, blue-white Alpha Crucis is the constellation's brightest star and the bottom star of the cross. Nearly as bright are Beta and Gamma, while Delta and Epsilon make up the asterism. Many of the constellation's brighter stars are members of the Scorpius–Centaurus Association, a loose group of hot blue-white stars that appear to share a common origin and motion across the Milky Way. Two star systems have been found to have planets. The constellation also contains four Cepheid variables visible to the naked eye under optimum conditions. Crux also contains the Jewel Box, a bright open cluster, and the Coalsack Nebula, the most prominent dark nebula in the sky.